Sunday, May 29, 2011

There is no sermon this week as we were busy with the Red Shield Appeal. We did our part, helping send out teams in the morning and collecting at a local shopping centre in the afternoon. It also gave me plenty of time to crochet.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

This week has been another busy one, culminating in a very profitable day at the markets, but more on that later.

We started this week with housework. We had to clean everything before our inspection on Tuesday, which we passed. I'm not sure if it was flying colours, but it was acceptable.

Tuesday afternoon I took Sue down to the chiro and managed to add a bit to my "2 for the road" scarf. I'm not back to where I was before yet but I'm making progress. On the way home I dropped in to my LYS to enter my tea cosy in their competition. They had a knitting group on (like they have every tuesday afternoon) and one of the ladies asked when I would be joining them. I will have to see if I can convince Sue.

Wednesday I was back at the gym and Sue was in the pool where she met one of the ladies from the teusday knitting group and she was asked the same question so we may be joining them soon. We had our own craft group in the afternoon anyway so one more day would mean we would be out 2 days one week and 3 the next doing our knitting and crochet.

Thursday I participated in Ellen Gormley's virtual book launch party and came out a winner. I won a copy of her new book, so soon I will have a load of new patterns to try out.

Friday we were back at crochet/knitting class, and while Sue didn't have anyone to teach she got Bruce (the guy I will be taking over from next term) to teach her his different way of using a stitch that she learnt from another friend some time ago.

This morning we were up before dawn so the we could drive the 120km to Benalla for the monthly market and we had a great day. Apart from the lady coming to pick up her order, which was worth $120, we sold $105 dollars worth of stuff. As a result of this I have had to review my to-do list.

I have split my to-do list up into three sections now and it looks something like this:-

Things to make to replace stock for my market stall:

Hanging towels
Large Jug Covers
Medium Jug Covers
Fan Bookmarks
Large Cross Bookmarks (I didn't sell any today but discovered that I only had one left)
Small Toy

Booties (to go with the bonnet and jacket)
Jumper (sweater to you Americans) for me
Doily in #40 cotton
Tunisian Crochet Dishcloth (for tutorial I want to write)
Crochetknit Cot Blanket (I want to try a method for doing rows that are longer than the hook)
Crochetknit Knee Rug (same as Cot Blanket and will also use up some of my stash of 8ply)
Something from my "99 Granny Squares" book (if I can find it)
Something in Tunisian Crochet Lace (I'm thinking of modifying Ellen's Jacket pattern by substituting a lace stitch in the main body of the pattern)
Something from Ellen's new book (when it arrives).

I think that that's plenty to keep me busy for a while although I always hope that the next market will add something to that first section.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

My hooks and pointy sticks have been quite busy again this week with 3 items for FO Friday and I'm hoping to get one more finished before Saturday.

Robot in Blue

This is to replace the owl that I sold at the last markets. I'm hoping it will ready for the next which will be this Saturday.

Rose Dress Tartan

Just because I was too lazy to get up and get what I needed for my next project, I did a few more rows on this. I hope to start adding more rows to it once I've caught up with the items I want for the market stall.

Friday crochet class has seen a bit more progress on a couple of blankets.

Tunisian Mitred Squares

Crochetknit Blanket Coloured Side

Crochetknit Blanket Cream Side

I've actually started doing the squares for this while in bed instead of doing puzzles.

Today it was time for craft group at church and I managed to do a few more rows on the knitted beanie.

Knitted Beanie in Red Heart Boutique

And the toddlers jacket.

Toddlers Jacket in Tunisian Crochet

I also spent a little time in a waiting room working on my scarf.

Two For The Road Scarf

I ended up frogging it back to the start of the first Lacy Grit Stitch section. It still looks a bit narrower than the rest but it now has the correct number of stitches.

That's it for the WIPs. I'll be back on Friday to show off the finished objects.

Monday, May 23, 2011

I know, it's very cliche, but with all the predictions floating around I thought I might put in my 2 cents worth.

Harold Camping predicted that judgement day would happen on May 21 this year (http://www.smh.com.au/world/cult-claims-end-of-world-is-nigh--go-figure-20110519-1euzb.html) based on dates of certain events in the Bible, but he got it wrong. When I first heard of this prediction I was confident that he was wrong.

A guy in Queensland, who says that he is the son of God and his wife is Mary Magdalene, tells us that the world will end next year and happen just as the movie portrayed. I don't believe him either.

In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

The Book of Revelation tells us that there will be 1000 years after Jesus' return so the end of the world is quite a way off yet, however, I believe that Jesus' return is quite close and, according to The Book of Revelation, most of us won't be alive to see it as we will die in the seven years of tribulation. I have reason to believe that the tribulation will start within the next 25 years and we need to be prepared for what lies ahead.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The reading this morning came from Psalm 32 (although the message was based around Matthew 5:3)

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

We need to be poor in spirit in order to embrace the rest of the beatitudes.

This passage is not about money or about putting yourself down!

To be poor in spirit is to admit our utter bankruptcy and dependence on God.

Most of us won't admit that we can't do something (unless it's something we don't want to do), that we are helpless. Aussies, especially, are hardworking, not helpless in anyway.

The first step toward a kingdom attitude is to admit that we are totally helpless and dependent on God. You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. Less of you leaves more room for God.

The second step is to humble ourselves. Humility is like underwear, we all wear it but we shouldn't let it show. Pride looks at other people and how much better we are than them, but humility compares ourselves with God and sees our lack.

Joy - Jesus first, yourselves last and others in between.

The third step is to hand over control to God.Blessed are we when we become kingdom people and accept God's will for our lives. This is something we all have trouble with because we want to be in control (or at least think we are).

Richard.

PS I might be back tomorrow to give my take on all the "end of the world" prophecies that seem to be floating about right now.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

If your reading this then the prophecy about the rapture was wrong (or that you and I missed out). In any case, I plan on carrying on as if it was a false prophecy and keep preparing for the real thing.

This week hasn't been particularly eventful. Sue went to aqua on Monday while I went to the gym. We've had a look at a few more properties and while we have found a couple that were suitable it seems we we weren't. We still have a couple of applications in so there's still a chance. Crochet class on Friday morning was a bit of a flop as there was only two of us there and we were both there to teach.

We didn't have any markets today and there haven't been any sale at either my Madeit (http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=41667) or Artfire (http://www.artfire.com/users/RosesCrafts) shops. The only positive is that one of my toys featured on Madeit's blog (http://madeitdotcomdotau.blogspot.com/2011/05/dolls-softies-toys-love.html).

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Welcome to another round-up of what's on my hooks and pointy sticks this week. I have decided that I'm not blogging enough and will therefore be introducing an FO Friday post with all my finished objects.

This week I decided I would enter a competition run by my LYS for WWKIP Day. She wants people to make a Teapot Cosy but she has a rule that any yarn used must be bought at her shop. Even though I have plenty of yarn in the cupboard I've never bought any from her shop so I went and bought some wool to make a cosy.

As you can see I'm doing this one in crochetknit (or crochet on the double if you prefer) which will make it reversible. I don't know if this will win the major prize ($50) but I hoping it will get some votes.

I started the teapot cosy because I was getting a little bored with shopping bags.

Shopping Bag #5

I think I've almost perfected the design although #4 (which you will see on Friday) was a little big for its pouch. I'm hoping to have 6 of these ready for the next market, which shouldn't be a problem unless I get sidetracked again.

I have managed to finish a couple more patches for the crochetknit blanket that I'm doing.

And add another square to the tunisian crochet blanket.

But my progress on the "2 For The Road Scarf" is going backwards.

I think I'm going to have to frog this back to the beginning of the first "Lacey Grit Stitch" section (the really narrow bit) as I think I messed up the start of it and this caused me to lose a couple of stiches (hence the narrowness).

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Most men, when faced with a problem, want to fix things themselves and only turn to God as a last resort.

Quite often we think our problems are sin related and ask the question "What have I done to deserve this?". Jesus' disciples didn't do anything wrong they simply followed His instructions and they ended up in the middle of a storm.

The devil will try to distract you with all sorts of "storm" to divert you from following Jesus' instructions, but we need to have faith that He will get us through. Jesus, who knew all things, would have known that the storm would come and planned to use it to strengthen the disciples faith. We need to let Him guide us through the storms and strengthen our faith instead of trying to get out of it by our own resources.

How strong is your faith? Does it need a little strengthening? I know mine does.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Another busy week this week, although I was a bit slack in that I only went to the gym once. I really need to go at least twice a week but, with Sue not wanting to go to Aqua, I get a bit lazy. My excuse for not going Wednesday was that I was replacing the passenger side mirror on the car (Sue said "you broke it, you fix it"). This is not an easy task when you don't really know what you're doing but I got it done.

Yesterday the crochet classes started up again so I get a bit more time to work on projects. Sue is now teaching knitting at the same time but didn't have any pupils this week. I didn't actually have any pupils either because the ladies that turned up seem to know what they're doing. We had hoped for some new people to come.

We didn't go to markets today as we had the Red Shield Appeal launch in town so I haven't sold anything this week. The launch was quite a festive affair with balloons and face painting. The band played a few well known hymns and the local Scots School Pipes and Drums played a couple of brackets. The mayor officiated and the local TV crew turned up so it should be on the news on Monday (no local news on weekends around here).

I'm still waiting for my first sale on Artfire (http://rosescrafts.artfire.com) and Madeit (http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=41667). It would be nice to get a little feedback even if it was to tell me that I'm asking too much. I'm willing to negotiate if someone thinks I'm too dear. My next market isn't for another 2 weeks so it's a long time between sales.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

I don't seem to have done as much crochet this week, I think that's because I haven't spent much time in waiting rooms. Ah well, crochet starts back on Friday so maybe some projects will start to move a bit quicker again.

It was quite a dull day today and it started to rain while I was taking photos so I had to move everything under cover so some of the colours aren't quite true to life.

First item this week is fresh off Sue's needles.

Child's Beanie

It's quite colourful, and I hope some child will fall in love with it.

And fresh off my hooks.

Maroon Shopping Bag packed in Pouch

Shopping Bag

Tan Shopping Bag Packed in Pouch

Tan Shopping Bag

Beige Shopping Bag Packed in Pouch

Beige Shopping Bag

I'm still playing around with the design of these and trying something different with each one. One thing I'm a little concerned about is that none of these is big enough (especially across the opening) to take a large box of cereal. They will hold tins, smaller boxes, fruit an veg and all sorts of other things.

The next iteration of tweaking is well under way.

Blue Shopping Bag

While chatting with Ellen and her friends on Thursday I managed to do a bit more crochet-knit.

The underside of panel 1

The top side of panel 1

These panels are turning out a little smaller than I had anticipated so I may have to make tqice as many of them to get a decent size blanket but I quite like the effect.

Today at craft group I managed to finish the 6x6 rib and move onto the 2x2 rib on my beanie.

Knitted Beanie

The last item that I've worked on this week (also at craft group) is the toddlers jacket.

Toddlers Jacket

It doesn't really look much yet but the pattern is starting to show.

As I said earlier, crochet class starts up again on Friday so that will give me a little more crochet time (possibly interrupted by teaching).

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Today, being Mothers' Day, I would just like to start off by saying "Happy Mothers' Day" to all mothers. Mothers' Day isn't particularly happy around our place as Sue lost both her parents when she was just a teenager and I lost my mother a few days before Mothers' Day 16 years ago, but that shouldn't stop everyone else from enjoying the day.

Our Mothers' Day service this morning was all about what it takes to be a mother.

Paul said to the Galations that he was "in the pains of child birth", so what is required to give birth to something?

There are several things require and they are as follows:-

Relationship - giving birth is due to a relationship and creates a new relationship. Giving birth to a dream also starts with a relationship, with your heaven;y father. Giving birth requires an ongoing commitment.

Selflessness - giving birth requires giving up some things and giving yourself to the new relationship.

Pain - regardless of what you are trying to bring forth, it's going to hurt.

Reward - every birth comes with its own reward.

God has a plan and a purpose for everyone and every church!

There is a calling on life that only you can fulfill.

Hebrews 12:1-3

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Everything was almost back to normal this week. I'm back to doing 2 sessions in the gym and Sue is back to doing 2 sessions in the pool, which means we only go over to Wodonga twice a week now instead of 4. This also means that I get at least 2 mornings a week to do housework (oh joy).

We're still looking for alternate accommodation, something without steps (or can be modified with a ramp) but so far we haven't had much luck. The last place we looked at had the shower over the bath, and since Sue has trouble stepping over the 7" hob we currently have, makes it totally unsuitable.

The crochet class is still on a break so Friday morning was another chance to do housework and we didn't have a market this week which gave me more chance to get a few shopping bags done before I try and sell them.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I haven't done a lot of crochet away from home this week. Most of my work has been done while sitting in my lounge chair watching TV.

I managed to get 2 sets of version 3 of the wine glass socks finished.

Wine Glass Sock version 3 plain

Wine Glass Sock version 3 with colour

These are done in #20 cotton so there's a bit more work in them than in the others which are done in #10 cotton.

While I had the #20 cotton out I decided to make a fan bookmark to replace the one I sold at the last market.

Fan Bookmark in variegated orange

Having completed the above I thought it was time to work on the shopping bags that I now have a pattern for (thanks to Patricia from Tasmania).

I decided to modify her pattern slightly a put handles on my bags instead of using a draw string. I hadn't quite finished the second handle when I took this photo and I still needed to attach a button and make the button hole. I found it a bit difficult to get the bag into its pouch so I'm adding a couple of increase rows to the next one to make the pouch a bit bigger.

While at the knitting party at Spotlight on Saturday I added a few more rows to my beanie.

Knitted Beanie

I've almost finished the 6 x 6 rib section and will move onto the 2 x 2 rib shortly. I'm not sure that I'm looking forward to that as most people seem to find rib to be something of a pita (if you want to know what that means do a search for acronyms).

I keep looking at my stash wondering what to start next. I'm itching to try try a technique of CrochetKnit that involves working with rows that have too many stitches to fit on the hook, but I'm resisting that urge. I also want to do another Tunisian Crochet Dishcloth and take lots of pictures of my progress so that I can do a tutorial on it, but I'm resisting that urge also.

There may come a day when I have to give up crochet, but I'll keep going while I still can.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

This is one of the better known passages from the Bible, even non-christians generally know this one.

The disciples were all too aware of the impossibility of feeding 5000 men (don't know why they didn't count the women and children also) but Jesus already knew what He was going to do before He asked them, and when a small boy offered his lunch that's all Jesus needed.

If Jesus can feed 5000 men with 5 small loaves and 2 small fish what can he do with what you have to offer?

If someone gives us a gift, do we leave it wrapped up? God has given us gifts, shouldn't we unwrap and use them?